Doogie Howser fanfic
by hzatz
Summary: When Willow made reference to Doogie Howser fanfic back in her teenage website days, this story had to be written... or at least started...


Obviously, I have no copyright for Buffy, Willow, Xander, Sunnydale, Doogie Howser, or any of the characters herein. But after Willow mentioned "Doogie Howser fanfic", this story had to be told.  
  
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Somewhere in suburbia, a computer monitor flares to life. The Windows logo appears and fades. The cursor slides across a selection of folders, and opens up a document entitled simply, "Journal". After scrolling down to the bottom of the page, the sound of fingers typing slowly on a keyboard can be heard, as the letters appear on the screen, one by one:  
  
September 27, 1997. Today was my first day at Sunnydale General. When my parents announced that we were moving to California at the beginning of the summer, I really wasn't looking forward to leaving my friends behind. But the girl I met today makes it seem like it might all be worthwhile...  
  
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In most of the world, going out for an evening stroll is generally thought to be a pleasant, calming experience. In the Southern Californian autumn, the days are generally hot, and the nights offer little respite. This particular evening, there was a gentle breeze from the ocean, which provided an unseasonable chill to contrast what had been a fairly warm day.  
  
When walking around at night in Sunnydale, however, the biggest thing to worry about wasn't leaving your sweater at home.  
  
Buffy, Xander, and Willow strolled together through the cool night air. Buffy, stake held casually but readily at her side, hair up in a bun, looked carefully at the suburban landscape. Xander, a step or two behind, looked mostly at Buffy. And Willow cast the occasional glance in Xander's direction, always looking a bit saddened that he never looked back at her.  
  
"So, Buffy", Willow asked, "you haven't really told us anything about what the summer was like in L.A. I mean, it couldn't all have been shopping for shoes. Didn't you see anything? Maybe a movie star or something?"  
  
Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but Xander turned to Willow and answered before she had a chance. "C'mon Will. Buffy's lived in L.A. for years. I'm sure she's seen lots of stars. A whole skyful." He turned back to Buffy and checked her reaction. "Right?"  
  
Buffy stopped walking, and turned to Xander to answer. "No... Left!"  
  
Xander barely had time to utter a confused "Whuh?" before Buffy's stake flew whizzing past his ear, and into the heart of a vampire across the street. As the vampire dissolved in a cloud of dust, the hazy figures of two more could be seen approaching from the shadows of a child's playground. Buffy ordered, "That was the only stake I had. Run, guys, I'll hold them off until I find something woody to finish them with." She ran towards the bushes near the playground. Willow and Xander paused just long enough to look at each other, before running together towards the graveyard on the other side of the road.  
  
Fortunately for Buffy, the trees near the park had a few branches of reasonable size. After a couple of spinning kicks to knock the vamps out of the way, all it took was a quick stab to take out the first one. The other vamp paused briefly in shock, giving Buffy an opportunity to punch her a few times in succession. As the vampire fell to the ground, stunned, Buffy called out, "When will you learn? If you play with the Slayer,...". She pounded the makeshift stake through its heart, "Someone's going to get hurt."  
  
"How right you are," sneered a voice from across the way. Buffy turned to look, to see a fourth vampire holding Willow captive. With one arm around her neck and another on her arm, he snarled and bit into Willow's neck. Willow just had enough time to scream, before her assailant vanished into nothingness. Xander, standing just behind Willow, dropped his own makeshift stake to catch Willow as she slumped to the ground.  
  
"Oh my god! Willow!" Buffy called out. "We've got to get her to a hospital."  
  
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"The thing I always hate about moving to a new place", Doogie thought to himself, "is that you always have to start over at the bottom of the totem pole." Particularly because he was so much younger than his coworkers, he always felt like he had to go the extra mile to prove himself. Eventually, he hoped they'd learn to respect him as his fellow physicians had previously. But until then, he'd have to work his way up to better assignments. That's why, for now, he was stuck working the night shift at the ER.  
  
Doogie had done quite a bit of research about Sunnydale during the summer before moving out there. He was amazed at the amount of business the hospital had to deal with. The number of late night trauma cases alone seemed more appropriate for a gang-ridden urban center, as opposed to the apparent calm of a bedroom community. When he saw two teens rushing through the hospital doors, with the arms of a third draped over their shoulders, he took a deep breath and prepared for the worst.  
  
"What happened here?" he asked, as he waved them over. Working together with the help of the blonde girl, he lifted the redhead on top of a nearby gurney. He was briefly surprised at how little help the blonde needed to lift her friend. But adrenaline does strange things to people's strength. He pulled out his stethescope, and noticed the holes in her neck.  
  
"She got bit by... a... tree snake," Xander sputtered out. Buffy looked at him with a look of disbelief. "Not the poisonous kind," he added.  
  
Doogie examined the twin puncture wounds. That was another weird thing about this area; these sort of wounds were surprisingly common. He checked Willow's pulse. "Well," he said, "she's not bleeding any more. I think she just fainted." He called out, "Nurse! Get me some smelling salts."  
  
"Nurse?" Buffy called out in surprise. "Aren't you a little young to be..."  
  
"Yes, ma'am, I am a fully board-certified doctor. Read the papers about it if you'd like. Dr. Howser, at your service." He double-checked Willows pupils, and took a small ampule from the nurse. "I think she'll be just fine," he said, as he broke it under her nose. "We'll just get her cleaned up and get you out of here."  
  
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Willow was lost in a nightmare land. Dreams of becoming a vampire, drinking on the blood of her friends, and wearing a surprisingly tight corset flashed through her mind. Then there was a horrible smell, and she woke up staring into the eyes of a really cute... well, he was dressed like a doctor, but he looked like he could be one of her fellow high school students. She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down.  
  
"Hang on a second, Miss..."  
  
"Willow. Uh... Rosenberg. Uh... Hi!" A smile filled her eyes, as she looked up, and saw the concerned faces of Buffy and Xander looking down at her. "What happened?"  
  
Buffy replied, "Well, you know, we were out on a stroll, and that really big..." She paused and looked at Xander disdainfully, then continued, "...tree snake... jumped down and bit you."  
  
Willow said, "Oh. Right. The ... tree snake ... Am I going to be ok, Doctor...?"  
  
Doogie allowed his amusement at the tableau before him to show on his face. "Doctor Douglas Howser. My friends call me Doogie. And you'll be just fine, Miss Willow Uh Rosenberg. We just need to get that nasty bite cleaned up, and you out of here." 


End file.
